Repurpose An IKEA Kitchen Table As A Sturdy Standing Desk

Buying a standing desk designated as such can cost big bucks. Really all you need, however, is a surface at standing height. This standing desk is a repurposed IKEA kitchen utility table.

Shane, the curious guy behind ThingsThatWeLearn, wanted a standing desk but the poor customer service and prices disappointed him so he looked into making his own. After some trouble finding tall desk legs he went off to IKEA and stumbled on a perfect solution:

I hadn't seen anything of the right height in their online catalogue but was fortunate to find some high tables in the kitchen section. These 'Utby' tables (I chose the 105cm height) were almost perfect. They look nice, have a good base height and a good 300mm adjustment so I can dial it in just right. I was amazed, all for just a touch over $US200. I picked an alternate, untreated pine table top and got the smaller width of the two for the time being. I don't have much space particularly with a 30" monitor but I can unscrew it later and replace it with a bigger one when I move office.

He's really pleased with the work station and has only one complaint—after months of use he frequently has sore heels. Coming from years of working long graveyard shifts on my feet I'd suggest to Shane that he should focus on his balance and make sure he isn't leaning back into his heels. Just a few degrees shift forward can release a lot of pressure on your heels and alleviate foot pain. Visit the link below to check out more pictures of Shane's setup. Have your own standing desk-related tip or trick to share? Let's hear about it in the comments.

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